The Third
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: Four-year-old Sirius Black has to endure a family get-together that leads to his learning about his namesakes. Written for the Black Family Challenge.


**Author's Note:**

Kinda spur of the moment idea, but I love it. I've always wanted to write about Sirius and his cousins when they were younger.

To elaborate on what I said in the summary, this was written for the Black Family Challenge in the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges forum.

**The Third**

The doorbell clanged loudly throughout the entire house, sending Walburga's migraine into overdrive and the portraits on the walls groaning.

"Sirius, your cousins are here! Come down at once!"

"Coming, Momma." The four-year-old ran down the stairs and across the carpeted floor to stand in front of his mother. He grinned up at her, his jet black bangs falling into his eyes. The knitted sweater he wore - lime green and brown stripes - was hanging off one of his bony shoulders, and his hair was ruffled.

Walburga let out a deep sigh and knelt down to straighten the sweater.

"_Why_ can't you be more like your brother?" she huffed. Sirius didn't say anything, but he let his grin fall and looked down at his feet. She slipped a comb from a hidden pocket in her dress and began to run it through his hair.

The doorbell clanged again and she stood up quickly.

"That'll have to do," she said, surveying her son's hair. "Go stand with your brother."

Sirius nodded and walked around his mother to where Regulus stood in his own hideous sweater. The older boy stood beside him and took his hand. Walburga turned and studied them for a moment.

"Smile," she said. Both boys did as they were told. "Good." She turned around and looked in the full-length mirror hanging beside the door. Her long, wild black hair was recently permed and had the look of a crow's nest. The comb ran through it a couple of times, but didn't make any difference. However she seemed pleased, slipping the comb back in her pocket and going to the door with a satisfied smile.

Five people stood outside, the first of which was a tall man who had the same harsh facial features and cold grey eyes as Walburga. He stepped into the house before the other guests and hugged her.

"Thank you for inviting us over, Walburga," said the woman that entered after him. She was young - barely thirty - and pretty. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a tight bun with ruby-encrusted clips holding it in place.

"Oh, any time, Druella. I'm glad you could make it," Sirius' mother answered, eyeing the woman's slim figure enviously.

"So are we. It's been hard to make time this summer," the man said. Druella nodded.

"Yes, we've been trying to spend as much time with our little Dromeda before she goes off to school next month."

Walburga looked behind them at the still-open front door, just now noticing the three young girls standing there.

The tallest girl stood first in line. She wore a green and white vertically striped summer dress. Her straight black hair was held up with a silver and emerald clip in the shape of a snake. She smiled slightly at her aunt.

"Bellatrix, dear! How was your school year?" Walburga asked, rushing forward and giving her a hug.

"Fairly good. Slytherin won the House Cup again," she proudly stated.

"Oh, that's wonderful. And I'm sure you had quite a bit to do with that, didn't you?"

"Probably," she said, not the least bit humble.

The second girl looked almost identical to the first. Her hair was left down, and her dress was white. She was grinning as she held on to a long stick of maple wood.

"Oh, Andromeda, what a beautiful wand!" Walburga admired. Behind her, Cygnus chuckled.

"Yes. We just picked it up yesterday. She refused to come without it."

"Bella's promised to teach me some spells when we get home," she told her aunt shyly.

"That's good, dear. The more you know now, the better, I say."

The smallest girl, no older than nine, pouted at the end of the line. She took after her mother with her silver-blonde hair and soft features. When she saw that her aunt wasn't planning on moving on to giving her attention any time soon, she decided to take action herself, stepping between her sisters and Walburga.

"Do you like my dress, Auntie?" she said, twirling the blue, ruffled thing. "It's new. Daddy got it when he was in Paris."

"It's lovely, Cissy, dear." Walburga turned and motioned at her sons. "And you remember your cousins, Sirius and Regulus. Boys, say hello."

Sirius took a deep breath. "Hewwo."

"_Sirius_," she warned.

He furrowed his brow and tried again. "H-he ... ll ... hell ... hello," he stuttered.

Walburga turned to his brother.

"Hello," Regulus said easily. Sirius glared down at him. Regulus had been able to say 'hello' and many other simple words that his brother had trouble with since he was about nine months old. Something that infuriated Sirius and mystified their parents.

Satisfied, Walburga turned back to her brother and sister-in-law.

"Aw, how _cute_," Druella said, smiling down at the boys. "And they're wearing the sweaters I knitted them last Christmas."

"Of course. They love those sweaters. Now, shall we go to the drawing room? I'm afraid Orion's working a little late, but he should be back before dinner." She picked up Regulus, who she hardly ever let walk anywhere, and led the way up to the first floor. Sirius was left to follow behind his cousins, tugging at the tight collar of his sweater as he went."

The adults sat by the fire, chatting about Cygnus' work at the Ministry while the children took the seats by the two tall windows over looking the Muggle street. Narcissa sat on the floor, playing with Regulus. Cissy always loved taking care of her little cousins, so long as they didn't steal the spotlight from her. Cygnus and Druella were sure she'd make a wonderful mother one day.

"Can you do magic now, Andy?" Sirius asked excitedly when Andromeda started showing off her wand. He remembered vividly once stealing his father's wand shortly after he turned two, and trying to use it to make his brother disappear. However, he did _not_ think to remember the rather long and painful punishment he received afterwards.

"Not really," she admitted, gazing down at the wand. "I can't wait to go to Hogwarts and start learning it all."

"_I_ know magic. I can show you two some spells ... if you want," Bellatrix bragged.

Sirius' eyes widened and he nodded his head. Andromeda looked just as excited for a moment, then frowned.

"I don't know, Bella. You don't have your wand. And this isn't our home. Something could go wrong."

"Don't be so paranoid. Nothing's going to go wrong. Just give me your wand." Bella held out her hand and her sister, although reluctantly, handed over the wand.

"Now, let's see...." She looked around the room for inspiration. Her eyes landed on the far wall, which was completely covered in the tapestry that held the Black family tree. "I've got an idea."

Grinning, Bella stood and motioned for Andromeda and Sirius to follow her over to the tapestry. When she was ready, she pointed the wand at the wall.

"Bella, wait! You can't do magic on the tapestry, you'll get in trouble!" her sister loudly whispered.

"Don't worry, it's harmless. Besides, they aren't even watching." She pointed over at their parents, who were laughing over some joke about squibs. She turned back to the wall and again pointed the wand at it. "O Great Ancestors of the House of Black, I summon thee!"

Sirius felt a slight breeze ruffle his hair. The tapestry moved with it too.

Andromeda gasped. "It worked! The spirits are here!"

Bellatrix nodded proudly. "Great Spirits, I have something to ask you." She eyed her sister and cousin, making sure they were paying attention. "I want to know how old I'll be when I die." She waved the wand and on the tree, beside where her date of birth was, another date appeared.

"Two hundred and seventy-three?" Andromeda said, adding the numbers up. "That's impossible, no witch has ever lived that long!"

"Well, I'm special," her sister told her. "Let's see how you're going to do. Great Spirits, tell us how long our dear, sweet Andromeda is going to live."

"I don't want to know," the younger girl said.

"It's too late." Bellatrix pointed at a new date. "One hundred and forty-three. Not bad, sis."

"Do mine!" Sirius pleaded, practically bouncing up and down at her side. "I want to know how wong I'm going to wive. Pwease?"

Trying to hide her smirk and failing, Bellatrix waved the wand one more time. "And when will Sirius die?" she asked the wall. The number appeared. Not being able to read or do any math yet, Sirius waited for his cousin to give him the answer. "Oh, how terribly sad."

Unable to wait any longer, Andromeda stepped up to the tapestry and read the date for herself, gasping again.

"No, it can't be," she said. Bellatrix nodded grimly.

"I'm afraid so. The Spirits don't lie."

"What?" Sirius finally asked.

Bellatrix fatted his shoulder sympathetically. "The Spirits say you're going to die by the end of the year."

He stared wide-eyed up at her. "No. It won't happen."

"Yes, it will. You see, it's a curse."

"What curse?"

"On your name. Everyone who has ever been named Sirius Black lived a very short life. I'm sorry, but it's true."

"Then ... I'ww change my name. I can be Merwin Bwack."

"Sorry, kid. It doesn't work like that."

The little boy kept shaking his head. "No. I'm not gonna die." And he ran from the drawing room and up the stairs to the second floor.

There were only two rooms on the second floor, both guest rooms and hardly ever used. Sirius' own bedroom was two more flights up, on the same level as Regulus' nursery, but he didn't want to go to his room right now. His room was the first place his mother looked for him when he disappeared. Instead, he went into the small guest room with the two twin beds and one wardrobe. He never really bothered to look around the room before, and wasn't much in the mood now.

The first time Sirius had come there was when he was a year and a half old. His parents were throwing a party, mainly to show off Regulus who was only a month old. They hadn't noticed Sirius had crawled off on his own until a few hours later, and by that point a distant cousin had found him asleep in the guest room and put him in his crib.

He'd been coming back to the room ever since, whenever he wanted to be alone or needed to think. Today was no different. He ran into the room and closed the door and headed for the bed farthest from the door. He had just begun to crawl underneath, where he had a small stash of candy and his favorite children's books, when someone called out to him.

"Boy, where do you think you're going?"

Sirius stood up and looked around the room. No one was there.

"Up here. Oh, for Merlin's sake. I'm on the _wall_." Sirius looked up into the eyes of the meanest-looking portrait he'd ever seen in his short life. The man had black hair down to his shoulders and mustache and beard. Long green robes with silver trim covered every inch of his body. Sirius cowered in the corner of the room.

"W-who are you?"

"Phineas Nigellus Black. And you are?"

"Sir ... um ... Merwin Bwack."

"Merwin?"

"Mer ... lin. Merlin."

"Hmm. Merlin Black. I don't believe I've heard of you. And I know everyone in the Black line."

"Everyone?" Sirius stepped out of the corner, to the foot of the bed. "Do you know Sirius Bwack?"

"Of course. The first or the second?"

"I don't know."

"Well, the first was my brother, you know. Good lad. Died young. The second was my son. Died a few years back."

"They're both ... dead?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I don't want to die," the boy whispered, close to tears now.

"Death is inevitable, young man. But what makes you worried about such things now?"

"The curse."

"What curse?"

"The curse on all people named Sirius Bwack." He sat cross-legged on the bed now, facing the wall. "My name is Sirius."

"Ah. You're Orion and Walburga's son, then. The third. But I must tell you that this curse does not exist."

"But you said both of the other Sirius' have died."

"Yes, that's true. My poor brother, he was just eight-years-old. My son, though, he was considerably older. Seventy-five, if I remember correctly."

"So, I'm not going to die?" Sirius smiled.

"I should hope not. You've got to carry on the line, after all."

"Sirius!" They both turned towards the door as they heard Andromeda's calling. "Sirius, where are you?"

"I'm in here!" he called back. He looked back at the portrait to thank Phineas for his help, but the old Headmaster was gone, leaving behind an ornate silver throne.

The door banged open and Andromeda came rushing in.

"Oh, Sirius. Thank Merlin I found you. Are you all right?" She sat down beside him on the bed.

"I'm okay, Andy."

"I'm so sorry for what Bella said. She made the whole thing up. There's no curse."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yep. Bewwa-" He stopped himself and took a deep breath. "_Bella_trix was just trying to scare me. That's okay."

"You're sure?"

He nodded and grinned. "But I'm gonna get her back."

**Author's Note:**

So there you have it.

Um ... so let me if you liked it, and maybe I'll do more one-shots on the Black brothers and sisters when they were kids? I'm already working on the 30 Drabbles in 30 Days challenge, all on Bella. So that'll delve into her childhood a bit.

Reviews are appreciated, flames are welcome.

-Lizzy =)


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